Incest
by Elsakun
Summary: It's seriously not like that!


_Sigh._

"Hey, boss, something wrong?"  
>Yuri's sudden voice made Karol jump. "Aah! Don't scare me like that, Yuri," he pouted.<p>

"I've just never seen you that down before," Yuri chuckled. "Is there something the matter?"

"W…well…" Karol winced, thinking for a second. "There is, I guess, something I've been wanting to say…"

"Oh?" Yuri whistled, drawing the rest of the group's attention. "Hey, everyone. The boss has an announcement to make, so listen up."

Rita laughed, "He always has an announcement! Let me rest, geez."

"Rita," Estelle scolded, "let him talk. When Karol has something important to say, we should listen closely."

"Well, kid?" Raven cocked an eyebrow. "What did you wanna say?"

"Umm…" Karol winced and, with a nudge from Yuri, stood sharply. "It's just, uh… it's about Nan…"

This caught everyone's attention. "Nan?" Estelle grinned. "This is about her? Oh, Karol, please! Talk without restraint!"

Karol's face turned a slight shade of red, and shook his head quickly. "No, no! Stop it, Estelle, it's nothing like that!"

"Aww," Judy chuckled. "I think you two are so cute, Karol."

"No, no, no!" Karol covered his face in shame. "You guys have got it all wrong!"

Raven smirked and patted his shoulder in a false sense of sympathy. "We got it, kid. Young love blossoms rather quickly, doesn't it? If you two tried to take it to the next level, then we understand—"

"No, you perverted old man!" Karol snapped, yanked away from his touch. "It's nothing like that at all! Nan's… Nan's my—"

"Oh, no!" Estelle gasped and covered her mouth, as if in fear. "Don't tell me, Karol… Did Nan break up with you?"

"We weren't even together!" Karol groaned. "Listen, you guys. Everyone just be quiet and let me talk for a second, okay?"

"Why should we—" Raven was stifled with a nudge from Yuri, who then turned to Karol and nodded. Karol let out a sigh of relief. Yuri was someone he could depend on, thank goodness…

"Here's the thing," Karol cleared his throat. "Nan… Nan's my sister."

It was quiet for a moment, before Raven whistled. Rita jumped to her feet and growled out, "You're disgusting, you little brat!" And with that she began casting a spell.

"A-ah? Wait, Rita, why are you—"

Too late. He was hit with her spell full-throttle. "I think that it's cute that you love her even though you're related," Judith commented. "True love transcends all limitations. You two are meant to be."

"I can tell why she's so resistant to ya now, though," Raven sighed. "Such a shame. Ya should give up on her, kid; she doesn't seem like the type to go for incest."

"So, Karol and Nan are…?" Estelle titled her head, confused. "How can you love someone if you're related by blood?"

"Like I said, Estelle," Judith giggled, "true love transcends all limitations."

Karol struggled to his feet, groaning as he did so. "Wa-wait, you guys have all got the wrong idea… What I meant was…"

"We know what you meant!" Rita spat and began firing up another spell. "Go to hell, you sick pervert!" And with that spell shot, Rita spun around and sat down, growling as she furrowed her brows. "Nobody talk to me until dinner," she added.

Karol bit his lip, ignoring the pain as much as he could. "Agh…" After a second, he tugged on Yuri's arm, feeling useless and helpless. "C-can you help me, Yuri?"

Yuri looked up, then smirked. "Of course, Karol. Everyone, what he means is, he never had a crush on her. She was simply his sister."

"I just… really wanted to impress her," he sighed. "Ever since…" He hesitated, and shook his head. "I just want m-my sister to accept me for who I am. You know?"

"Ever since when?" Estelle frowned. "Karol, is there something you're not telling us?"

And again, he hesitated, biting is lip in thought, as if contemplating whether or not to enlighten them. To let them know of his past. "W-well…"

"If you don't want to tell us, you don't have to," Yuri shrugged. "You can tell us when you're ready."

"N-no, I am." He sucked in a sharp breath. "I trust you guys. So… uh…" He cleared his throat. "I… I'm afraid of monsters 'cuz… when we were little, our parents got killed by monsters."

Silence enveloped the campsite. Even Rita flinched at the startling news. "I really don't like monsters 'cuz of that," Karol went on, "and Nan doesn't, either. Except, she took it differently. Instead of being scared of them like I was—"

"She started hating 'em, and joined the Hunting Blades," Raven finished. Karol nodded, and breathing a breath of relief, sat back down.

"I just want her to realize that I'm good for something, too," Karol winced. "Maybe I'm not the best at facing my fears, but… but that doesn't make me worthless… right?"

"You're an idiot!"

Rita's sharp tone sliced through the air and Karol ducked behind Yuri, bracing for another spell. "You think your sister hates you? That she thinks you can't do anything?" Rita laughed. "Sisters never give up on their brothers, ever! Your sister just wants you to grow a backbone and mature, that's why she's been so standoffish!"

Everyone stared at the feminine orphan, confused at her sudden outburst. "W…wait a second, kiddo," Raven laughed awkwardly, "how would ya know something like that? Ain't ya a single child?"

"I thought that applied to all sibling relationships," Rita glared at the old man, who skirted away behind Yuri as well. "Am I wrong, Karol?"

Karol's eyes gleamed as he finally took a step out from behind the dark-haired swordsman. "No, you're right," he realized, as if he'd had an epiphany. "You're right, Rita, you're right! Of course, that's gotta be it!"

Yuri smirked as the young boy raced across the campsite to Estelle, chatting excitedly with her about the actions he would take when he saw Nan next. "I'm gonna tell her all about the journey! Oh, and I'm gonna hug her too, it's been forever since we last hugged—oh, do you think maybe I should buy her something nice so she'll listen to me? It shouldn't be anything too expensive, of course, but I don't even really know what she likes besides killing monsters… Maybe I'll…"

Yuri also saw Rita let out a breath of relief. "You do care," he noted dryly. "Don't you?"

Rita jumped, then flushed and crossed her arms. "O-of course not! His moping was just getting on my nerves, that's all!"

"You know," Raven chuckled, "with Nan out of the picture, there's no competition—"

_"Shut up, you stupid, perverted old man!"_

"Aaaauuuugh! Rita, why did you hit _me?"_

Yuri let out a light laugh. Rita and Karol bickering back and forth with Raven's commentary, Estelle fluttering over them as she attempted to calm them down, Repede keeping watch, and Judith helping him with dinner…

Karol should've known better than to be cautious of telling this group something. They couldn't have changed their opinions if they'd tried.

**~Fin**


End file.
